


He who fights, but for whom?

by iseemikimouse



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dinosaurs, Alternate Universe - Magic, Gen, Kim Jongin | Kai-centric, Soldiers, he needs it, someone please save kim jongin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 23:24:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18883396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iseemikimouse/pseuds/iseemikimouse
Summary: Jongin's normal day patrolling the grounds was supposed to be normal. Keyword was. Instead, he finds himself in a field with creatures five times his size and a gold eyed man who speaks in riddles. That's not normal. And neither are the events that follow.





	He who fights, but for whom?

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh well this story was crazy to write because it was so different. I'm currently obsessed with dinosaurs because dinosaurs. So yeah. Thank you to the mods for hosting this fest and I hope you enjoy the craziness that are these dinosaur riders (kinda)!

Jongin is low to the ground, his eyes trained on the movement in front of him. The leaves of the fir tree stop moving with the soft rustle of noise gone in the blink of an eye. Gripping his quiver at his side, he moves stealthily against the foliage, careful not to alert the creature hiding in the tree that he is nearby. He pauses in his footsteps, listening for the sound of anything but nothing comes. 

He continues on, and something snaps. 

He freezes. 

A loud trill comes near him followed by the loud sounds of heavy footfalls and tinier trills. 

He flings himself behind another tree, his face towards the bark and his body as straight as he can make it. For a second, he closes his eyes and tried to regulate his breathing before opening them. Moving towards the side of the tree, he peeks and sucks in a breath. Not a few feet in front of him stands a massive creature. 

Most of the skin is a deep purple with a tan underbelly. Rounded plates line the creature's back, staggered as if to protect the beast from a large predator. Four spikes stood proudly at the end of the creature's tail. 

The creature turns its body around, it's small beady eyes looking for something. Jongin holds his breath and moves slowly, so he's hiding behind the tree again. 

As always, he's forgotten the name of the creature in front of him and can't remember if he needs to attack or not. That's still the problem with these dinosaurs, he never knew if attacking one that wouldn't attack their villages or if it was one that was going to. 

The sound of loud footsteps stops in front of him and quickly he sucks in a breath, one hand itching to move towards the bow strapped to his back. His fingers brush against the quiver at this side, the bow feeling stout against his shoulders. He takes another deep breath but doesn't move an inch. 

The soft trills from the creatures in front of him cause him to peek again, the purple skin shining brights in the moonlight. He pauses in his peeping to really see the animal in front of him. It has been a long time. Too long, in fact. 

He remembers when he first saw a dinosaur for the first time, little Jongin filled with wonder and amazement on how creatures as tall as trees could share his home with him. He dreamt of sitting on the back of dinosaurs, protecting what he wanted and what he loved but he mainly spent hours pouring over his parent's books and listening to them talking about the massive creatures that roamed the earth. They would speak how ancient and powerful they were all while holding his hand and letting Jongin feel the rough patches of skin for the first time. 

If he closes his eyes again, he can place himself back in his home where he would fall asleep listening to the same soft trills of the dinosaurs that used to sleep outside of his window, large eyes peering through his light curtains, a fond look in the creature's eyes as she bared her teeth happily. 

He was seven when she became pregnant and bore a couple of baby dinosaurs, one claiming Jongin as his owner or brother, no one knew. He'd follow Jongin wherever he went, nipping at the human's heels and trilling happily when Jongin gave him the attention he wanted. 

Jongin named him Kai. 

But everything good always has something horrible following it. 

The trills coming from the other side of the tree reminded Jongin of the night he watched his parents die in a dinosaur attack. He could still hear how loud his mother screamed and how they suddenly stopped. He remembers those soft trills from his dinosaur growing weaker as the creature began dying near his mother's unmoving body. 

He snaps himself out of his thoughts when the trills are no more. Panic fills his mind as his thoughts travel to a dangerous place of maybe they were killed right in front of him, but he didn't hear anything from anywhere. Perhaps the mother began sensing danger not too far from where they were. Yeah, that was it. 

_ Oh. _

Wuerhosaurus, the name of the dinosaur. 

Coming out from behind the tree, Jongin sighs, his hand dropping from his quiver. He takes a couple of deep breaths before taking a few steps away and following the massive footprints in front of him. He looks down to see the size of his footprints compared to the creatures, blinking a couple of times when he sees the sheer size of how massive the footsteps are. 

He knows that these dinosaurs won't harm the village, but the others didn't. Most of them are scared the sight thought of any type of giant reptile attacking their home, and without a second thought, most of them would fire their arrows or swing their axes the moment those young would make a trill. 

Jongin picks up his pace. 

His mind begins to turn at the possibilities in trying to get the dinosaurs to leave safely, his thoughts once again going to his dead parents and a dead Kai. This time his thoughts turn to how they would feel to him joining the Dinosaur Corps whose main motto is to slaughter anything bigger than an elephant or had rows of teeth that could tear apart a human apart in mere seconds.

_ Don't think like that, _ he tells himself with a shake of his head. 

He leaves the depths of his mind to see the colors of greens and browns swirl past him, their darker shakes just about giving him a headache like no other. The moon is high above him, the faint light illuminating the path he needs to take. The moonlight shine upon the forest, catching the night glower as they began to bloom with the little lightning bugs flying around the petals. Some of them land on Jongin's shoulder as he makes his way through a rather dense patch of flowers while others nip gently at his fingertips, almost as if they wanted to play with the human hunter. 

He begins to hear the soft trills of the Wuerhosaurus not too far from where he is. 

His footsteps get louder the more he rushes, and it takes a moment for him to realize that he's no longer in his patrol area. With a loud curse and a mental cringe at the punishment he'll received, he begins to sprint, his hand automatically going to his side and holding his weapon in place. 

He can't see ahead of himself as the branches, and other foliage gets denser, but he blinks for a second and suddenly he's in a field so massive it's a wonder how Mother Nature could change so quickly. He blinks a couple of times as he stumbles to a stop, his mind supplying that he's never been to this field before. Blade of grass reaches his waist almost as if they want to conceal the vile items he carries with him. Most of the light bugs circle around him and a few meters to his left where the family of Wuerhosaurus are, the mother watching as Jongin had stumbled into the clearing. 

Her stance screams protection as a low trill passes through her large mouth, a warning for him not to come any closer. She stands in front of her young while they play, not minding the human in the field. Baring her teeth, she takes one step towards Jongin causing him to take a step back. Maybe because he was thinking about his parents, not a few seconds before that he suddenly wants to prove to their memory that he will not harm them. He's not like the rest of his village that would kill without a second thought. 

He looks at his surrounding making sure there was no one from the patrol to bother or report what he was about to do. Looking back to the mother, he takes a deep breath, noticing how she watches him. The look in her eyes is wary for any sudden move he would make to kill them in a heartbeat. 

He knows it won't do much in this situation as the mother he's trying to appeal to isn't human, but he can't help the soft smile that reaches his lips, promises of no harming going towards her and her young pouring from them. He reaches for his bow and sees the moment her mouth curl more into a snarl as he pulls over his back and dropping to the ground. His fingers graze the buckle holding the arrows at his side before he pushes in and the quiver falls to the ground. 

And then he waits. 

He waits for the mother to make her move and if the lessening of her curling lip and the dying sounds of her trills isn't a sound of curiosity, then he doesn't know what is. Her stance doesn't change, but it relaxes a little. 

His mind goes into the training his parents gave him as he stands still as a rock. He makes a show of his hands, hopefully passing onto the massive mother that he wasn't going to harm them. She tilts her head, and Jongin finally lets out a quiet sigh when she relaxes. 

Something rustles in the trees across the way causing Jongin to stay frozen. His eyes dart to the moving leaves, his heart hammering in his chest. If it's someone from his patrol unit, what would they think about him just standing in the middle of a field with a family of dinosaurs in front of him? He glances to his weapon on the ground but makes no move to reach for it. 

_ It's nothing,  _ he tells himself _. It's nothing. _

The back of his mind tells him that maybe it's something, but the rustle of leaves don't happen again. Perhaps it was just the wind, he tells himself, and it's left like that. His senses are still on high alert, but he looks back at the family in front of him, noticing how the mother continually darts her eyes towards Jongin but pays more attention to her mischievous youngsters. 

She sits and Jongin shifts on his feet. 

Her children run to her the moment her bum hits the floor, happy trills fill the air as the two young nips at her tail and chase the same little light bugs. 

The lightning bugs grow brighter as time goes on, Jongin's complete focus on the family. He knows he should be listening to the sound of the rustling leaves, but his mind continues to tell him the sounds are just leaves blowing in the wind. 

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Someone says next to him. 

Jongin whips his head to the side to see a pale man standing next to him, dark hair rustling in the wind. He's a few inches shorter than him, his clothes looking like a ninja's, the deepest black he's ever seen. The newcomer's hands are on his hips, as his face remains forward but Joengin can make out the soft slope of a nose and plump lips. 

He should grab his bow and arrows from the ground, but Jongin finds himself captivated from the man in front of him. He's frozen in his spot as the man turns his head and all Jongin sees are plump lips stretched into a soft heart shaped smile and molten gold. 

The gold eyes look Jongin up and down before settling at his eyes. 

Jongin takes a step back. 

"I saw what you did," the man says, his voice a deep timber. "That was one way to gain her trust. Wuerhosauruses are a little temperamental in who they trust." 

"So I've heard," Jongin replies without thinking. "Who?" 

The man smiles wider. "I'm no one important, just yet. I will be though, in time but that's not important." He chuckles at his words before the smile slips off his face. "Remember to watch out for them, Kim Jongin. These dinosaurs trust you now, and you don't want to break that trust they've given you." 

Jongin blinks a couple of times, the other man's words not making any sense. He looks to the mother and her young again before looking back to the man only to find him gone. He sucks in a breath of surprise and begins to wonder if maybe he dreamt everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soonyoung stands in front of the group of people with her eyes searching the crowd, before looking back to the people of the Dinosaur Corps. Her lips are set in a straight line, and her back is straight. Throwing a lock of hair over her shoulder, she cocks her hip to the side and crosses her arms over her chest. 

"Come again," she says, her stare finally landing on Jongin. 

Jongin takes a deep breath and points behind him, keeping his eyes on the leader of his village. At first, he didn't want to tell her, but he knew the consequences if he didn't. 

"There's a group of people coming this way, and all of them are riding dinosaurs. They look like raptors." He licks his lips before looking down at the ground gathering his thoughts and the possibilities the woman is going to give him. 

"Were they carrying weapons?" 

"No, ma'am. They looked like they are traveling past us." 

"With dinosaurs?" she scoffs. "I don't think so." She pauses. "I want everyone to be alert for these strangers. They might cause trouble." She points to a pink haired male. "Captain Taeyong, take your squad and place them around the town. Everyone else gets back into your positions." She looks back to Jongin. "Go and greet them. Ask if they need anything or if they need to come into town. Make your decision based on that. We'll be waiting for them." 

Jongin opens his mouth to protest, but the glaring from the leader has him shutting his mouth, nodding his head, and turning on his heel. Of course, it would be home to greet the people he didn't know and the people who could potentially cause harm to the entire village. 

He doesn't look at the people he passes when he walks by them, one of the people being Bang Chan who waves and smiles brightly. He lowers his hand when he sees Jongin not waving back, but the smile doesn't slip off his face. Instead, it's bright like he knows something Jongin doesn't know, and it's a little settling. 

This time, he does raise his hand and waves back at Chan who's smile gets even brighter before the blonde man practically skips away. 

Jongin blinks a couple of times before continuing on and placing the odd encounter with Chan out of his mind. He continues to make his way back to his post in the forest which is a little ways away from the village. 

He passes a couple of buildings housing the lower ranks of the Dinosaur Corps, laughter and talking no longer spilling out like they were when Jongin came from his patrol. Now the bright yellow lights were nothing but a small memory as squad members run in and out of the buildings with weapons in their hands. Jongin places a hand on his quiver. 

He keeps his gaze forward when he passes through the gate, his mind silently going to the carcass he knows is hidden in the foliage. It was Taeyong's group that had put the massive raptor down, the animal looking thin and almost sickly like it hadn't eaten in a long time. 

He grimaces. 

He nods at Ten and Felix who are coming in, their spears in their hands and their uniforms muddy. Felix looks a little pale, but he always does when he comes back from a mission with Ten. They don't say anything when the two of the pass Jongin but Felix's eyes linger for a couple of seconds. He smiles softly at Jongin before his focus is back to silently walking with Ten.  

There's a loud shout, and the gates close behind Jongin, and he's left alone with his thoughts and with the plants around him. 

He takes a deep breath when he passes through the large leaves. It doesn't take too long before he's in the middle of the pathway leading to his post surrounded by trees and colorful plants. 

The silence around him is calming and enough for him to finally let his thoughts wander about the people on the pathway to the village. He wonders where they're going as Jongin's village is the last village before they would hit the Deadwood, a place no one wanted to go into. 

So why?

He supposes he can think of the real reason later. Taking a deep breath, he pushes the last set of leaves out of his way, stopping and blinking when he sees teeth and smells rotten eggs. Jongin doesn't think when he jumps back a few feet, the hand at his quiver pulling out an arrow and quickly pulling his bow from his back. He aims at the creature's head before a loud laugh comes from somewhere behind the massive beast. 

"Heel Vivi," a deep voice says. "He's not going to attack you. Sehun call off your pet." 

Someone scoffs. "Vivi isn't a pet. Vivi is an intellectual creature that makes her own rules. If she doesn't want to take a step back, then she doesn't have to." A hand comes from behind the creature, petting the side. "Isn't that right, baby?" 

"Sehun," the same deep voice warns.   

"Fine. Vivi back." 

The dinosaur steps back and Jongin can't help but to notice what type of creature is in front of him. He feels a little silly when his eyes widen at the sight of a megaraptor in front of him, but that doesn't stop the flush to his cheeks when he realizes that, this is a creature he has been dreaming about for a long time. His heart begins to beat in excitement. 

From where he's standing, he sees massive claws and its long tail whipping in the air. Its skin is a coffee brown that shines in the sunlight, and its teeth glint yellow. Vivi's beady eyes catch Jongin openly staring at him, and it snaps its teeth at him. Jongin takes a few steps back as somebody laughs. 

Another megaraptor comes next to Vivi, the rider pulling his dinosaur to the side so he can see Jongin. The man's hair is a soft grey, some locks a little curled at the end. His jaw looks a little sharp, but Jongin can't help but to compare the man looking like a bear. But bears don't have startling purple eyes filled with things Jongin knows he can't understand. The man smiles at the soldier and waves his hand. 

"Hello!" he says, lowering his hand. "Are you from the village up ahead?" Jongin can only nod, his eyes going from this insanely attractive man and between the creatures he's only heard stories of. "That's great! We'll be needing some supplies, do you think they'll let us come in?" 

Jongin's gaze reluctantly leaves the megaraptor and looks to the purple-eyed man. "Yes," he says. "I will escort you to the village square." 

"Wonderful!" the man says again. "A couple of people have dismounted their dinosaurs for a couple of minutes but will be getting back on shortly." He turns to the rider Jongin hasn't seen yet. "Let Soo know, please." 

"I'm going," the first deep voice says, and Vivi turns its body. Jongin catches a glimpse of a man with rainbow hair before he's gone. 

The hole that Vivi left exposes the right of the group. Two other megaraptors chatter at each other, one with a rider and one without. Standing next to the megaraptors is a two-tone dinosaur. Its head is a forest green and body a chocolate brown. The feathers running down the crook of the arms of the creature are a bright teal and the crown on its head are a stark white. 

Jongin sucks in a breath. "Unenlagia," he whispers. "They're beautiful." 

Someone chuckles and Jongin remembers that he's not alone. "Aren't they? You wouldn't think that those colors would work very well, but they do." 

Jongin snaps his eyes to the purple-eyed man who is watching him intently. "You seem to know more about them than any other warrior we've come across." 

"My parents used to teach me about them," he blurts. "They used to tell me stories of how ancient and powerful these creatures were and that they weren't meant to be slaughtered." He looks down at his quiver. "But that was a different time and place." His eyes snap up. "Please tell your people to hurry. We're not far from the gates, but if no one is coming, then the gates will close." 

The purple-eyed man just stares at Jongin for a few moments before shouting over his shoulder. The group of dinosaurs snap their teeth but fall into line. With a nod of his head, Jongin turns around and begins to lead the group back to the village. 

He questions himself on why he was able to tell this strange purple-eyed man something he wouldn't dare tell anyone in his village. He would have been thrown out of its walls if anyone found Jongin thinking like that. The knowledge of the dinosaurs was something Soonyoung didn't want her people to know. While Jongin had found it a bit odd, everyone else seemed not to question her ways. Chan and Felix did at first, as they're from another village, but they quickly learned not to question the ways of Kim Soonyoung. 

Jongin had sympathized with the dinosaurs since he was little, his parents teaching him that not all dinosaurs are bad and just rampage through different villages but no one wanted to listen to him when he told them. Instead, he was almost shunned by the town, and sixteen-year-old Jongin couldn't handle that. So he closed his mouth and joined the Dinosaur Corps in hopes of changing something, anything, but even now seven years later, nothing has changed. 

The walls loom at few feet in front of him, shocking Jongin back into the present and not in his head. The chattering of the dinosaurs standing behind him grows louder, but the human voices have ceased. The wall's gates are wide open with a couple of squad members staffing them. Jongin nods and the two guards stand a little straighter, their spears crackling with energy. 

"Stop here," Jongin turns around to look at the purple-eyed man. "We'll inform the head of the village." 

The man inclines his head. "Of course." 

"Seungcheol," Jongin says turning around. 

"Wonwoo and Mingyu have already gone to let Soonyoung know," Seungcheol says, his eyes still on the dinosaurs standing behind Jongin. An expression passes through his face, but it's gone just as fast as it comes. 

A few minutes pass and a tall man, Mingyu, comes running and nodding to Seungcheol and Jongin. 

"Be careful, Jongin," Seungcheol calls out just as a loud chattering noise comes from behind. Jongin turns, still listening to the other man warning him about the dangers of trusting these people, looking at one of the megaraptors in the same spot where the carcass is. 

Jongin lowers his eyes before looking back to Seungcheol. "They'll be gone by the morning." 

Seungcheol sighs. "I know but still." 

With a wave of his hand to the purple-eyed man, Jongin leads them through the gates, a few nods towards the wall's watch. A couple of people come out of their home to gawk at the creatures, somet with wide and curious eyes, other with so much hate. He wishes he can do something to change the look of hatred in people's eyes, but he knows that human are fickle creatures, believing in what others tell them and not experiencing the issue themselves. 

He sighs and ignores the rest of the village coming out and listens to the chattering coming from behind him. It's not as loud as it was when they were outside the walls, but almost eerily silent as if the dinosaurs knew this wasn't a place where they could roam free. 

Soonyoung stands in the middle of the village square with her arms crossed over her chest. There's a tight-lipped smile on her face as she regards Jongin with a cold stare.

"Hello," she says with a little bow, "and welcome to our village." 

The purple-eyed man makes a couple of clicks with his mouth and dismounts his dinosaur. He stands the same height as Jongin but is leaner than the shoulder. He smiles kindly at Soonyoung and drags his hand over his black bodice. 

Jongin notices then that the man wears something similar to Jongin's uniform, a tight black suit. The sleeves are long enough to cover a nice portion of the man's arms with gold piping along the sides. He wears knee high lace up boots, the same gold piping on the side. A belt of bottles and weapons encase his waist, the glass clinking with each movement the man makes. 

"Thank you for allowing us to be here," he says. "We have been traveling for quite some time now, and we need to restock our supplies before we head home." 

Soonyoung raises a brow. "Restock your supplies?" 

"Yes. You see, we were on a mission given to us by our head, and now we're heading back home to report."

Jongin shifts on his feet as Soonyoung nods. "I'm sure we can make some accommodations." Her eyes flick to the dinosaurs. "We don't get very many Riders in this area." 

There's a glint in the man's purple eyes. "I'm sure you don't. We Riders are very few." He turns back to his dinosaur but not before winking at Jongin. He clears his throat. "Soo?"

Another series of clicks come from behind another megaraptor, the creature leaning down for its rider to come off. The man who comes down is short with flaming red hair and pale skin. He wears the same clothing as the purple eyed man, the gold piping looking more regal on his uniform. Soo's eyes flick up, and suddenly Jongin feels as if he's standing in the middle of the forgotten field with the family of wuerhosaurus. The man smiles, his lips forming a heart and his eyes shining brightly like molten gold.  

Soo laughs. "Don't be rude, Woojinnie," he says. "You didn't introduce yourself to our host or our escort." 

Woojin looks sheepish before letting out a belly laugh. "I suppose you're right." 

"I'm always right." 

Woojin rolls his eyes. "Now are you going to rude to our hosts?" 

There's a mischievous glint in the man's gold eyes. "Most certainly not! My name is Doh Kyungsoo, and I am the leader of this company. As my first in command has failed to say, thank you for allowing us into your village." 

Jongin is still in his mind, seeing the bright gold eyes and a heart-shaped smile. The name rattles Jongin to his very core because that's the name of the man he had been seeing in his dreams since that night a few weeks ago. 

But those dreams have always been something else. They were more than those quiet dreams which Jongin would wake up and remember nothing. These dreams Jongin would remember the stories the gold-eyed man would tell him. Stories that reminded him of his parents and when times were much more straightforward.

Jongin blinks out of his haze and watches as Kyungsoo smiles at him, his heart-shaped smile a hundred watts and almost teasing him like he knew something Jongin didn't. Kyungsoo turns away when Jongin opens his mouth to ask a question, causing the soldier to snap his mouth shut and to stand at attention like he should have been. 

His eyes flick to Soonyoung who is just watching the two guests with mirth in her eyes. There are questions in them, the biggest one is wondering what they're doing in these parts of the forest. She tsks and clears her throat.

"Jongin will show you to the inn," she says, and he will do what now? "If there's anything you need, please let him or any other soldier know." 

Kyungsoo meets Soonyoung eyes and smiles. "And our dinosaurs?"

"There is a place where they can rest." 

"Not what I meant," Kyungsoo says, the smile dropping from his face and his eyes turning deadly. "There will be no harm to them?" 

Soonyoung grits her teeth like the next words coming out of her mouth are poisonous. "No harm will come them. Your dinosaurs will be well." 

Kyungsoo smiles again, and Jongin wonders if that would be the case. Most of the town hates dinosaurs as much as people hate the thought of vampires. He wouldn't be surprised if someone tries their hardest to try and kill the creatures before the night is over. 

Jongin looks up and notices the setting sun, the sky melting into pinks and purples. There's not a single cloud in the air but when had the day turned into the night? Jongin doesn't know. He doesn't want to think about how when morning comes, these people will be long gone, with no trace if the group ever being inside of their town. 

He shakes his head at the thoughts. He has a job to do. 

"If you come this way," he says to the group of Riders. "The inn isn't too far, and the Kim family will show you where you can put your dinosaurs to rest."

"Thank you," Kyungsoo says warmly, his heart growing wider.

He doesn't say a word as he leads the group to the inn, a little ways from the center of town. His mind supplying helpfully that something doesn't feel right. There's a feeling in his gut that can't quite place, but he pushes it away. 

Everything will be fine. Right?

Mrs. Kim stands outside of her inn, her lips pursed in a straight line before she downright glares at the dinosaurs. She's a short woman with dark hair and toffee colored eyes. She wears her usual raggedy gown of mixed fabric of blue and white. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and she doesn't smile at her guests like she normally does but nods her head in understanding when she spots Jongin. She turns away, yelling something at her boys before looking back. 

"Welcome," she says, her voice scratchy and filled with malice. "I hope you enjoy your stay." 

The door opens, and one of her boys comes out, the same dark hair flopping against the boy's head. Jongin smiles at him before looking at the door and noting the presence of Chan and Felix in the foyer. They both look to Jongin and smile at him before trying to get a glimpse of the Riders. 

Jongin clears his throat. "If there is anything you need," he says before turning around and keeping his eyes in front of him. "Please let me know or Felix and Chan who are in the inn." 

With a quick bow and a grunt from someone in Kyungsoo's party, Jongin finds himself walking back to his home. The atmosphere turned a bit cold when Mrs. Kim didn't say anything about the dinosaurs and a place they could sleep for the night. He could hear the faint question being asked. 

His shift end when he makes it home, grateful for the long day that eased into the night. He wants nothing more than to bury himself beneath the covers of his bed and sleep, but the stirring in his mind and the uneasiness in his stomach tell him otherwise. He doesn't have time for something like this. He needs to rest, but deep down he knows he won't be getting it. 

He sighs. 

Jongin's home sits not too far from the inn, the walk being not more than five minutes to the west. The building itself looks like the rest of the village, the same dull brown walls and a tattered green roof with a tiny chimney coming from the top. The door is plain and opens easily with a quick turn of Jongin's wrist. 

The inside of the home is much like the outside, plain. It feels more like a hotel room than a home with his bed pushed to the far corner and his dressers nearby. A single sheet dividing the room in half where his kitchen and ratty couch are. In the middle of the room stands a single table with a picture frame in the middle. 

He sits on his bed and covers his hands on his face, taking a deep breath in, too many memories playing in his head. It's never like this, the memory overload. He never really sees his mother leaning down and watching him play with Kai. He never hears her stories in his ears, and there's no doubt in his mind that all of this comes from the influx of dinosaurs he's seen today. 

He lays down.

But these people, who are they and why did they come to this village? Why does Jongin see Kyungsoo in his dreams but more importantly, what does their meeting mean from a couple of weeks ago? 

Questions and more questions fill his mind, his brain racking anything for answers but coming up with nothing. It doesn't make sense to him, the reason for these people to be in his village. 

Rolling over, he stares at the wall blankly, his mind going once more to his parents. He wonders what they would think about their son as he is now, killing the creatures he was brought up to love. 

And he did love them. He loves the dinosaurs so beautifully because he loves them like they should be. All of this nonsense killing drives him mad. He doesn't want to kill the dinosaurs, especially when his parents spent so long trying to protect them. 

Once again, Jongin sighs. 

He wonders if Kyungsoo is comfortable at the inn. If Mrs. Kim is treating them somewhat decently and if the dinosaurs are safe. He wonders if Chan and Felix are treating the group well or if they're giving them the cold shoulder much like the rest of the village. 

But most of all, Jongin wonders about the sinking feeling in his gut and why it doesn't want to leave. 

He rolls over again, his back facing the wall and his face towards the open air of the room. He shuts his eyes, forcing himself to get some form of rest but his mind still turns. 

He questions again why Kyungsoo and his company would be traveling towards the Deadwood, Jongin's village the last one before anyone would hit the massive Wood. There was nothing in the Wood but the dinosaurs the Korean government wanted to keep hidden from the rest of the world. Those creatures could be genuinely called monsters. 

But at least, that's what Jongin has heard about the place. He's never actually been into the Deadwood, but something tells him, like everything powerful and mysterious, that the Wood is a lot more than meets the eye. 

He doesn't know when he fell asleep or even if closing his eyes to rest could be considered sleeping because the next thing he knows, is faint sunlight peeking through his window. It's orange instead of the typical yellow that would normally shine its way through. 

He bolts out of bed because holy shit, he might actually be late for the first time in his life. He rushes to pull off the uniform he slept in to put on a clean one, ignoring the loud sounds coming from outside. 

The birds sound louder than before, he thinks to himself before he freezes. 

Birds? 

Those sounds, those noises don't sound like birds. 

As quick as he can, Jongin finishes getting dressed, lacing up his boots as he runs out of his building. The noises begin to increase almost like they're moving and hurry the fuck up Kim Jongin! 

Rushing, he straps his bow to his back and his quiver around his waist. He wastes no time, pushing himself out the door, the two laces of his left boot flopping in the air unceremoniously. He pauses, though, listening to the sound of screaming coming from outside before he finally yanks the door open. 

He takes in the sight of panicked villagers running away from the town square, most if not all of them screaming as they continuously look behind them. Their voices are loud, but nothing can compare to the sound of the thundering footfalls of dinosaurs, not too far from where Jongin stands.

Stepping out of his home, someone runs into him. The woman looks completely panicked, her eyes widening when they see Jongin trying to steady her. 

"They're going to burn the village down!" she screams at him before moving away and running again. 

Jongin blinks a couple of times before booking it down the street, narrowly avoiding people as they come bolting towards him. No one stops the soldier as he continues to maneuver, some of the people moving out his way when they see either his face or his uniform. 

He feels the flames before he sees them. He looks up to see black smoke curling around the left side of town. A shudder runs down his back as the sky, a beautiful pink and orange, is tinted in black, the color swirling around like it meant to destroy. 

Jongin continues to run, passing the inn. There's not a soul in sight. 

The footfalls get louder like the dinosaurs are trying to prove a point like they're trying to capture the attention of someone. Jongin makes his way into the town square, and the first thing he sees is a circle of the Dinosaur Corps. Spear wielders have their tips pointed to the center where Kyungsoo and his company stands, all of them with bright smiles on their faces. Their dinosaurs stomp the ground, snapping their teeth and snarling at any movements they see. 

By then, Jongin can see the flames in their red and orange glory as they continue to feast on the wooden building. The smell of burnt wood and metal fill his nose the more he stands behind. 

Without a beat, he looks for a vantage point, seeing most of them already taken. His eyes quickly catch an empty one not too far from where he's standing. It's not ideal, but if anyone makes a move, he'll be able to see. At least, he hopes so. 

He tries to not capture the attention of any of the dinosaurs, as he runs in the back. He blinks a couple of times before the ladder is in his hand and he's climbing. The platform he'll stand on isn't the largest one, but it'll hold his weight. He pulls himself upward and is quick to draw his weapon from his back and his arrow at his side. He nocks his arrow, pulling the string. 

He's ready. 

He breathes in and out as he watches the scene in front of him, that feeling in his gut beginning again. 

Kyungsoo waits a moment before placing his hands on his hips. "Soonyoung," he says with lit in his voice. "I thought we were going to be civil for a little bit." 

Soonyoung?

Jongin looks frantically around the square, spotting the village head not too far from the center. She's too far to tell the expression on her face, but he can't imagine her looking much too happy in a situation like this. If anything, the expression on her face might be similar to the one she's given Jongin when he can't finish a mission of killing a dinosaur. 

His grip on his bow tightens. 

"We were civil," she says, her voice laced with anger. "Until you began attacking the village." 

Kyungsoo laughs. "I guess it was wrong of me to assume that we could be. At least, normally we are but to this group? I don't think so." 

"This group?" 

"You have an entire division dedicated into killing the dinosaurs and for what? Protection?" Kyungsoo snorts. "What you're doing isn't protection, Lady Soonyoung. It's murder."

Jongin points his arrow to the nearest dinosaur he can see. The realization that he might kill one of the creatures he was marveling at the day before slaps him hard in the face. The megaraptor snaps its teeth as it watches Jongin. The massive incisors are on display, shining brightly in the daylight as the creature waits for its master to give the order. 

With a quick glance, he sees a head of rainbow hair and a young man looking bored. His arms are crossed against his chest, and hip is cocked to the side. He blinks a couple of times before yawning. 

Recognition flashes across his face when he looks back to the megaraptor. Vivi.

"We're murders?" Soonyoung laughs. "Are you sure about that?" 

"Yes," Kyungsoo snaps, his voice gaining an octave louder. Jongin looks at him.

Kyungsoo's eyes seem to be glowing brighter as he takes a step forward. An arrow wizzes through the air and the next moments happen too fast. If you ask Jongin what happens two days after the event, he won't be able to tell you anything, the movement of the earth moving to fast.

With a loud rumble, a section of earth covers Kyungsoo's form, the arrow falling to the side. It sinks back into the ground, and the only thing Jongin can do is blink a couple of time and stare because what in god's name just happened? 

A loud murmur floods through the circle, the Corps momentarily stunned but Soonyoung loud shout causes silence to take over again. 

"We do what we need to do fo service," she hisses. "And if that makes us monsters, then monsters we shall be." 

Jongin has to applaud the village leader for her words but at the same time, shake his head at them. For years, he's been trying to educate the people of his village, but no one has been listening. Instead, they've been hiding behind their weapons and killing anything bigger than an elephant with teeth. 

Kyungsoo looks in Jongin's direction, gold eyes meeting brown ones. "How is it surviving by killing a mother and her young?" he asks. "How is it not the same as slaughter and woman and her children? Is it because they're animals and they don't deserve the same, and yet we coddle dogs and cats, keeping them as pets and having them apart of our families." Kyungsoo looks away. "You murdered wuerhosaurus because all you saw was teeth and more teeth. What you didn't know you murdered was a creature who has no desire for flesh but the for the plants and the insects in your forest. You're killing your ecosystem." 

Jongin tries to keep listening, he really does, but Kyungsoo's words begin to get to him. He looks to the village leader where she stands proudly at the front of her troops. There's no remorse in her stance the more she stares Kyungsoo in the eye, and for the first time in a long time, Jongin feels sick. 

She killed the wuerhosaurus family? The creature who allowed Jongin to watch the young chase lightning bugs around? The mother who watched Jongin with a close eye before deeming him not a threat. 

Jongin's fingers loosen around the string, the arrow beginning to fall just a little.

"They were dinosaurs." 

"Harmless!" Kyungsoo shouts. "They were harmless!" 

Soonyoung doesn't say anything, and Kyungsoo narrows his eyes. 

"You know nothing about the creatures you kill, do you?"

"I know enough." 

"No, you don't! You know nothing, Lee Soonyoung. You only think you know about the world around you, but in fact, you know shit." Kyungsoo doubles over and begins to laugh. "And to think Lee Kwangsoo placed this village and protection in your hands? No wonder this village is not like it used to be." 

Soonyoung takes a step forward. "You know nothing of what happens in this-" 

"Maybe you should know who you put in your ranks," Kyungsoo cuts Soonyoung off. He motions to the circle, and two spears go down. Two people step forward, both of them bowing their heads towards Kyungsoo. 

Jongin knows those heads anywhere, but he can't help the soft gasp that leaves his lips. 

Bang Chan turns around, his eyes now a blazing blue as he smiles to the circle, his weapon dropping from his hand. He places two fingers to his lips and blows. 

Lee Felix only smiles as he bolts through the throngs of human and dinosaurs, throwing his arms over the shoulders of a megaraptor. He looks to the crowd with bright orange eyes and a bright smile. 

"Treason!" she shouts as she makes the signal for her archers to shoot. "Kill them all!" 

A flurry of arrows fly through the air, most of them missing the marks as a sizeable earthen shield covers the middle of the circle. Not a soul or a sound of breathing comes from anywhere as the shield stays up with Kyungsoo's laughter coming from inside. 

"Do you mean to kill me?" Kyungsoo giggles. "You can't."

"I can wish." 

All of the archers begin to nock their second arrows, all expect Jongin who lowered his weapon. His mind is reeling from the betrayal of Chan and Felix, but he should have guessed. They came claiming they had no village to return to, no home to live in but they were only here to watch as the town went on with their killings. 

In a way, though, Jongin doesn't blame them. He envies them. 

"I pity you, Lee Soonyoung. You've lost quite a bit right now. Our war is just beginning," Kyungsoo says with finality in his voice. "We've come for what we've wanted anyway. Your weapons have been destroyed, and for a short time, peace has been restored to this forest."

Soonyoung snorts. "There's something else." 

Kyungsoo smiles his heart on full display. "Of course not," he says. "I want Kim Jongin." 

What?

"I want the son of Kim Dahee and Kim Rin back where he belongs. He doesn't belong in a village that kills when he's the son of two of the most notable protectors." 

What?

Soonyoung purses her lips. "Fine."

WHAT? 

Kyungsoo smiles before he turns around and walks to his dinosaur, mounting the creature. He aims his smile towards Soonyoung before looking in Jongin's direction. A loud yell falls from his lips as the megaraptor turns around, his jaw snapping at everything before running away. 

Jongin, on the other hand, blinks a couple of times, that sinking feeling in his stomach forming again. He feels odd, knowing that his village leader gave him up like he's nothing to them, but maybe he's not? The words coming from Kyungsoo's lips are enough for Kyungsoo to fully believe. 

But what should Jongin believe? 

He's lived in this village his entire life, and not someone comes in and claiming that he doesn't belong to this village? 

None of this-

A loud screech interrupts his thoughts causing Jongin to look up. The creature is right in the sun, making it hard to see it correctly but knows it's coming his way. Panic fills his veins, but before he can even scream, the feeling of claws grip onto his shoulders, pulling him away from the small platform. His bow falls from his hand as the creature screeches again. 

A shout comes from the ground, followed by a shout coming from the back of the animal. Before Jongin knows it, he's being carried off from the only place he knows as his home. Something tells him that he'll see this village again but not in the same light as before. But maybe that's not a bad thing. Perhaps it's not a bad thing at all. 

For now, though, he'll work on surviving whatever Doh Kyungsoo has planned for him. That feeling in his stomach returns as he glances to the ground. He can't help the scream that rips through his throat when he notices how long the drop is.

He hopes he doesn't fall. 

Oh, gods. 

Jongin keeps screaming. 


End file.
